NY Jets' most glaring problem was on display in fourth-quarter meltdown vs. Titans

Coach Todd Bowles after the Jets blew a 16-0 lead to fall to the Titans, 26-22 on Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn.
Andy Vasquez, Staff Writer, @andy_vasquez

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis (84) celebrates after scoring a touchdown on an 11-yard pass against the New York Jets in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. The touchdown gave the Titans a 26-22 win. (AP Photo/James Kenney)(Photo: The Associated Press)

The Jets melted down in the second half, handing the Titans a 26-22 win at Nissan Stadium where they squandered a 16-0 first-half lead.

For most of the day, the Jets seemed poised for their first win in 49 games. They seized the momentum in the first quarter, with cornerback Trumaine Johnson’s pick-6 and they held the lead all the way until the final minute of the game.

But the offense couldn’t capitalize on several chances to extend the edge, and the defense slowly began to crumble.

The total-team meltdown culminated with a game-winning drive by the Titans that never would have been possible if not for three mind-numbing Jets penalties.

Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota connected with Corey Davis for the go-ahead 11-yard touchdown with 36 seconds left. Davis muscled his way into the end zone on third-and-7, to seal the Jets’ fate.

“We beat ourselves,” Jets cornerback Trumaine Johnson said. “I hate losing. I hate losing. I hate losing. If you look back at the game, we dominated most of the game and we came up short. We should have won. We should have won the game.”

The defeat left the Jets’ locker room in silence, with players shocked, angry and resigned to this team’s fate.

The Jets (3-9) guaranteed their third consecutive losing season and the fifth in the last seven years.

But more than anything, Sunday’s loss drove home the unfortunate truth: The Jets have never been able to finish under Bowles.

Not in Week 17 of 2015, when a win would have gotten them to the playoffs. Not earlier this season, when they had the Browns on the ropes and let them come back to get the win. And not on Sunday, when the Jets needed to make just one play to get a much-needed win.

“If I knew the answer to that, honestly, we’d be finishing right now,” Bowles said. “We’re doing the same thing we’ve been doing. At some point, we’ve got to make a play to win a ball game. … Dumb mistakes at dumb times cost us ballgames. That’s why we’re in the position we’re in.”

Finishing games is a riddle that Bowles has never been able to solve. And that will almost certainly cost him his job once this dismal season is over.

Offensive ineptitude

The Jets’ final defensive drive of the game was a disaster (more on that in a bit), but their inability get into the end zone was the biggest reason for the loss.

The woeful offense didn’t get in the end zone once on Sunday. The Jets have now gone seven straight quarters without a touchdown. In their last five games, and they have just three offensive touchdowns. They have scored one offensive touchdown or fewer in five straight games, a franchise record according to ESPN.

It’s impossible to win that way.

The Jets moved the ball on Sunday, generating 280 yards of total offense. But they missed seemingly every opportunity that was handed to them. When Andre Roberts opened the second half with a 59-yard kickoff return to give the Jets great field position, they immediately went three-and-out. When they got near the end zone, they faltered: going 0 for 3 in the red zone.

Josh McCown, filling in for the injured Sam Darnold (foot) for the third straight game finished 17 of 30 for 128 yards. He was intercepted on a desperation heave as the the Jets tried to score the go-ahead touchdown after the Titans took their first lead of the game.

The offense has become so sad that kicker Jason Myers is, legitimately, the Jets’ most dangerous weapon: he made all five of his field goals and an extra point against the Titans, accounting for 16 of the Jets’ 22 points.

The offense has faltered with Darnold and McCown at quarterback. It’s been bad and inconsistent when the Jets have weapons healthy, or when they’re hurt.

So what’s the problem?

“Well, I still have a job right now,” receiver Quincy Enunwa said with a laugh, “So as much as I’d love to say what my opinion of that is, I’d rather just keep that to myself.”

It’s not that hard to read between the lines and see that some players in the locker room have lost confidence in offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates.

Ugly ending

Despite all their shortcomings, the Jets still had a chance to put the game away. All they needed was a stop on the final drive. And when the Titans started on their own 14-yard line, down 22-19 with 1:46 remaining, the odds seemed heavily in the Jets’ favor.

But then they imploded. Morris Claiborne was called for defensive holding, offsetting a Titans penalty that would have pushed them back farther.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Taywan Taylor (13) catches a pass in front of New York Jets cornerback Darryl Roberts (27) in the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)(Photo: The Associated Press)

Jordan Jenkins was called for illegal use of the hands, negating a sack the would have been crushing to Tennessee’s chances.

And then the Jets gave up a 25-yard scramble to Mariota, that ended with a 15-yard facemask penalty by Johnson.

The inexcusable penalties sent things spinning out of control as the Titans completed the six-play, 86-yard drive in just 70 seconds.

The Jets finished the game with 11 penalties for 76 yards, including three penalties on the final drive.

And it left Bowles quietly furious as he addressed the players, who know by now what losses like this mean for his fate.

“Pissed off. Frustrated,” Bowles said of his message to the team. “Look in the mirror. Just look in the mirror. We won’t be a good football team until we’re a smart football team.”